nkhalidi

I'm thinking about doing the 3-day Miata school at Sebring in April. My goal is to get faster and have more fun in the process. The school looks great and I've heard good things about Skip Barber instructors, but I'd like to hear firsthand experiences from Rennlist guys about what they learned, what they thought of the school, and how those lessons translated to their own progress at the track.

The Miata school looks more attractive than the formula-car school because I think a Miata is closer to what I usually drive rather than a formula car.

About me: I've done at least 50 track days in Porsches and BMWs over the past nine years. I've never done a racing school, only informal amateur instruction at track days in street cars. I can click off consistent 2:36s at Sebring in my basically stock 7S, but I know there's a LOT left in the car, and I want to bring it out. I'm open to new ideas, and I learn best through constant feedback and doing (as opposed to seeing).

I'd appreciate your thoughts, guys.

Gary R.

I would suggest spending the money on a Professional coach like Chris Cervelli using your car.

Circuit Motorsports

The barber school plays to the lowest common denominator. They have a wide range of people in the class. Anywhere from hardly knows how to shift all the way up to people just doing it to get their comp license. Because of this they can't spend a lot of time working on higher level skills with people.

That being said, you get some good things out of it too. You get into their system where you can move up the ladder of instruction and race their series (formula or MX-5). You aren't beating the crap out of your car. If you look at the costs of everything you use for your car on a weekend it actually isn't that expensive.

If I were to tell someone which car to choose it would be the formula car. The car will respond to your inputs and show not only the good but also the bad.

Phokaioglaukos

I did the 3-day school in the formula car at Laguna Seca last summer and I'm doing the 2-day advanced course next week, also at LS. It was wonderful because I got to drive LS and I was (and will be) with seven colleagues and clients. It was terrible in that lead/follow is a slow way to learn and the instruction was intermittent. You'd get better value from an SCCA race school even with the cost of renting a race car (at least in the Washington DC region) or hiring a coach to drive with you at an open track DE.

With your track time I would not encourage doing the SB school. For a client outing, though, it is first class fun.

Doc V.

The Skip Barber Racing School does not, in my experience, "play to the lowest common denominator" or fail to provide students with the opportunity to work on "higher level [driving] skills." During racing schools, students are separated into different run groups and receive sound instruction at all levels. In seven seasons with Barber, I have received valuable coaching from Jim Pace, Carl Lopez, Mark Hamilton Peters, et al.

____________
PCA National Instructor
GVC BMW CCA Instructor
Trackmasters Instructor

Circuit Motorsports

My comment is only in regards to the 3day school where you end up with a wider range of skill level in the group. One on one instruction is minimal when there are 14 drivers and three instructors.

Wreck Me Otter

Skip Barber won't teach you to go faster in the 3-day race school. Money is better spent with a professional coach than SCCA licensing school, Skip Barber school, whatever.

I have done all 3, and the only one that got me to go faster is a professional coach...my coach was cheaper per day than the Skippy school to boot...

nkhalidi

Thanks for the feedback, all.

callen2

I just attended the 3 day MX5 race school at LS. It was great as we only had a few people in our group and 2 of the 3 days were in the rain. It was a great experience and I have done many track days already and attended driving schools. To mix it up you may want to do the open wheel course. I don't know Sebring from a driving standpoint but LS was awesome.